Daily grind

Citation

(1999), "Daily grind", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948aab.010

Daily grind

Industrial news

Daily grind

Extensive use of DuPont Zytel nylon polyamide for several components of Dolmar GmbH's prize-winning new PC-7314 grinder-cutter reduced the weight of its previous model by about 25 per cent. This power tool recently won two prizes for outstanding design, one at the "Industrie Forum Design", in Hannover, one at "hamburgdesign". For the double-bottomed fuel tank with its integrated handle, Dolmar's designers used Zytel 73G30T, an impact-modified glass fibre reinforced nylon 6. All the other parts of the housing are moulded in Zytel 73G30, a glass reinforced nylon 6. The rear hand-grip and the fuel tank is one integrated part, injection-moulded in two mating halves which are then welded together. In this application the DuPont nylon's excellent mechanical strength, balance of stiffness and toughness, high heat distortion temperature, good abrasion resistance and chemical resistance play important roles. Dolmar's designers "thought in plastics right from the start", rather than adapting an existing metal design by trying to create "drop-in replacement" parts in plastics. Designers and engineers from Dolmar, and from Coko GmbH, the moulder, worked with DuPont development experts to choose the right material for the parts ­ using computer-aided mould-flow analysis to determine the optimum design for the complex mould and the processing parameters. In Dolmar's previous models, the housing was made of cast and sheet metal ­ normal practice for such power tools. The fuel tank, for example, was of die-cast magnesium. The use of metal created a tool that was heavy and unwieldy. For more information, contact Dolmar GmbH., Jenfelder Straße 38, D­22045 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49-40-6 69 86-0. Fax: +49-40-6 69 86-3 55 or see the DuPont Web site at http://www.dupont.com.